Herstedvester Cemetery
BUILDERS Herstedvester Parish Council
STATUS Pending
A green oasis
Herstedvester Cemetery is centrally located in Herstedvester, where the green areas serve as a natural meeting place for the city’s residents.
The proposal emphasizes creating a wider variety of experiences and recreational opportunities with good access and space for nature.
A Place to Meet
It has been important to create a new and strong identity for the northern burial section to make it an attractive burial area.
The section as a whole will appear more coherent than today – both because of the spatial delineation with tree plantings, the organic design and the visual highlighting of the church building with focus on the porch and window sections.
To give the church a more prominent character, the trees in front of the porch are cut down. The lapidary moved to a central location in front of the church and baptistery.
The square is designed with ground-covering vegetation that forms a calm foundation for the tombstones. The square is reflected in the opposite side of the porch with a distinctive heart tree as a character-defining element.
Space for nature
The development plan will increase the cemetery’s biodiversity, as part of the parish council’s work with “Green Church” and as a future-proof initiative.
the clearing
A grassy clearing borders the lapidary. The area will function as a new burial area with ornamental trees, mowed grass paths and urn and coffin graves along the paths. Existing graves are included as part of the grave section. The different grave shapes will create a beautiful contrast between old and new.
New features such as a larger paved area, a water feature and benches encourage people to stay and attend church events in the green space.
planting
The existing vegetation has been assessed and larger trees and less valuable trees form the basis for the proposed planting.
The existing vegetation is well-established and can give the cemetery section a finished look from the start.
biodiversity
In extension of the lawn, a flower meadow and perennial beds will be created with biodiversity and recreation in mind. The area will also be an active burial area with urn graves along the paths.
The proposal allows for the proposed planting to promote the biodiversity of the area. The presence of water as a small pond in the seating area helps to strengthen the biodiversity of the area.
delimitation
A tree planting is proposed along the cemetery wall to the west, to blur the view of the neighboring buildings and orient the spatiality towards the gravesite area and the rest of the cemetery. The church building and the tree planting in the new cemetery further contribute to the intimacy of the section
